County Approves Building Bid

RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum approved County Judge Jimmy Cummings’ recommendation Monday night to go with a pole barn construction system with concrete floors to create a new storage building for the county’s voting machines. During last month’s meeting, the quorum court rejected all bids submitted for a proposed 30x60 storage building that would be constructed next to the Hall-Morgan Veterans Building in Rison. Those bids ranged from $112,000 to $146,751.25. Cummings said during the April  meeting the county may have to reduce the size of the building to get it within budget.Since then, Cummings said he learned about pole barn construction that could meet the needs of a new building at a lower cost. He said Quality Barns and More of Grapevine submitted a bid of $38,515 to construction a 30x60 structure that would include a concrete floor and porch as well as engineered roof trusses that would be placed on two-foot centers. He said the bid is essentially for the shell, and the county would serve as the contractor to finish out the electrical work, the insulation and the heating/air conditioning. Cummings said the building will not have any plumbing since it will only be used for storing and testing the voting machines.Based on conversations he has had with some contractors, Cummings said he believes the county can finish out the building for less than $80,000. He gave a possible range of about $69,000 to $72,000 to finish it out.There were some concerns about using a pole barn, since most of those structures usually do not have a floor. Cummings said these buildings are different in that once the marine-treated 6x6 poles are set into place for the frame, the concrete is poured around them to create the floor, and stud walls are then built inside for drywall and electrical service like any conventional structure. The bid included one door and a 4x8 porch. Justice Charles Rodgers suggested a...